No other Big Ten Conference school has more than two of its alumnae playing in the nine-team ABL. Iowa has two, while Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin have one apiece.

Jacoby and Lovelace both played in the ABL a year ago, and Lovelace ranked among the league leaders in field goal percentage (53.3) and blocked shots (52). Jacoby, ironically, is coached by her college coach, Lin Dunn, who spent nine seasons at Purdue from 1988-96 before joining Portland midway through last season. Holmes-Harris originally was drafted by Seattle prior to the 1996-97 campaign but did not sign until this year. Roland joined Columbus, the inaugural league champions, after leading the Boilermakers to a Big Ten tri-championship as a senior. Also, former Purdue assistant coach Gail Hook (1995-96) is an assistant with the Colorado Xplosion.

The other women's professional basketball league, the WNBA, played its first season this past summer. Former Purdue player Corissa Yasen (1997) was a member of the Sacramento Monarchs.